Time Shifters

by Chris Grine

Overview

When Luke investigates an eerie blue glow in the woods behind his house, he doesn't know what he'll find there. But a scientist, a robot Abraham Lincoln riding a friendly dinosaur, and a sassy ghost were the last things he could have imagined stumbling upon. Now as Luke and his new companions are pursued by a bickering trio of bumbling henchmen who are after the strange device locked to his arm, he's forced on a crazy, headlong adventure in a parallel dimension! Will he find his courage in time to save the day and get home or will he be trapped in a weird alternate reality forever?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545926591
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	05/30/2017
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	GN240L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Chris Grine is an artist and writer for Hallmark where he creates humorous greeting cards. Chickenhare was nominated for an Eisner Award for best publication for a younger audience in 2007. Chris lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife and their daughter.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2017
Gr 3–7—A few months after the accidental drowning death of his brother, Luke discovers a strange, glowing device in the woods behind his home. When he is attacked by a trio of dangerous monsters looking for the object, he inadvertently uses it to escape, along with another group of strangers who are seeking the device, to a parallel dimension inhabited by cowboy insects. There, Luke learns that the device can transport people through the multiverse and even through time. His new friends have been on the run, keeping the device from a powerful villain determined to use it to control the multiverse. Will they be able to escape being eaten or captured long enough for the device to recharge and get Luke home? And if the device really can move people through time, can he possibly save his brother? The art is similar in style to that of Jeff Smith's "Bone" books. Simple, clean, and attractive, it fits the tone of the narrative but doesn't do much to propel the story. Though this first installment in a new graphic novel series is an entertaining and funny adventure, there are some holes in the plot and some thinly drawn characters. Luke is the most well-developed character, and while readers will easily empathize with him and his situation, even some of his choices are contrived. However, these issues may be addressed in subsequent books, and the story's premise and action are engaging. With the device, the narrative literally has the potential to go anywhere. VERDICT For graphic novel fans who appreciate plenty of action and adventure.—Erik Knapp, Davis Library, Plano, TX

School Library Journal

2017-03-06
A year after the worst day in Luke's life, a chance encounter in the forest sparks a grand adventure.Luke and his older brother, Kyle, are playing in the woods when a gang of bullies causes an accident that leaves Kyle dead and Luke without his brother and best friend. A year later, a flash in the forest leads the white boy to a strange device that clamps onto his forearm. Then, chased by a mummy, a skeleton in a spacesuit, and "vampire Napoleon," Luke is rescued by an equally odd team: a robot Abe Lincoln, an Asian-featured ghost named Artemis, a dinosaur named Zinc, and Doc—the white inventor who, it turns out, invented the device on Luke's arm. The mummy, skeleton and Napoleon are after the device, which facilitates access to the multiverse. To evade them, Luke and his new friends shift to an alternate Earth where spiders the size of humans inhabit what looks like the Old West. With the bad guys on their trail, can the good guys rescue a kidnapped Abe Lincoln and keep the device out of the hands of their pursuers' diabolical boss? Grine's time-and-space adventure is a full-color, action-stuffed tale with plenty of slapstick and sarcastic humor. Luke's ragtag new acquaintances are an interesting bunch, and the villains are suitably silly and sinister. As satisfying and enjoyable as a big-budget animated sci-fi feature. (Graphic science fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews

04/10/2017
Luke, still mourning his brother’s accidental death while protecting him from bullies, has a run-in with a mummy, a skeleton in a space suit, and a vampiric Napoleon Bonaparte in the woods near his home. Before Luke becomes their next victim, a band of “time-travelling, dimension-hopping fugitives” swoops in and brings him to a parallel dimension that resembles the Wild West, except that it’s populated by humanoid insects. Luke’s motley crew consists of a young ghost, Artemis; a robot version of Abraham Lincoln; crotchety inventor Doc; and a beaked tyrannosaur named Zinc—they’re just as oddball a group as the villains pursuing them. Grine (Chickenhare) hooks readers quickly and powerfully with the death of Luke’s brother before transitioning into the kooky hijinks that follow; the villains, in particular, are hilariously hapless in the tradition of Pokémon’s Team Rocket or Skeletor’s henchmen in He-Man. The clean backgrounds, dynamic perspectives panels, and bold linework emphasize action and physical comedy, but the story’s thoughtful consideration of grief and destiny nicely counterbalances its wilder twists and turns. Ages 8–12. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Chickenhare:

"An imaginative, outlandish and rollicking adventure."--Kirkus Reviews

"Witty comebacks, fast pacing, and a demented taxidermist--Grine's debut has it all."--Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Brothers Luke and Kyle are out seeking adventures when they take a shortcut, changing their lives are changed forever. Three months later, Luke’s mother talks him into leaving the house and taking a walk through the woods outside their home; he’s been spending too much time moping around inside. Outside Luke is surprised by three henchmen: Vampire Napoleon, a skeleton in a space suit, and a mummy who are looking for a device that Luke happens to find first when it attaches itself to his arm. A bzzwapp and a fwasshhh later and three more characters riding a dinosaur named Zinc pop into Luke’s world: a scientist, a robot Abraham Lincoln, and a wisecracking ghost named Artemis. Luke joins these time travelers and is transported into a spider world that looks a bit like the old west, except everyone’s a spider. Vampire Napoleon and his cohorts follow Luke and his new friends into this arachnid town called Spider-pinch Gulch, intent on getting the device back. Luke faces all kinds of shootouts, stagecoach rides, and a marriage proposal by a worm. So many strange creatures try to stop Luke and his “friends,” even at one point trying to roast robot Abraham Lincoln. Luke is on a ride of a lifetime, only he has no idea what consequences will befall him or what choices he will have to make. This is a solid story with so many unique twists and turns. Illustrations give the feel of an older comic book, adding to the time traveling. The humor and the heart that are woven throughout are especially notable. Reviewer: Toni Jourdan; Ages 8 to 12.

Children's Literature - Toni Jourdan